I know there are a lot of post-ep 11 oneshots out there, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to write something quick, something ShinyaXAkane and this was the only idea I had.
For those of you who read my DTB work, this story falls into my Song-spired Series where the song used was PRINCESS -Revival of Church- by Versailles. It roughly follows the lyrics - more like drew inspiration from it - and you should totally listen to it! It's a beautiful song and the lyrics capture perfectly what I imagine of the relationship between Shinya and Akane.
For those of you where this is your first time reading my work - I like using the lyrics from some of my favorite songs as inspiration, either to write a complete story or to inspire the overall theme of it. Hence the "Song-spired" part.
As for the title, yakusoku is Japanese for promise.
Yakusoku
She sat primly on his couch facing him, awaiting his news. Her hands were clasped lightly together where they rested on her lap, her legs pressed together in a lady-like fashion while her back was held straight with an innate gracefulness she did not realize she possessed. Akane Tsunemori, his lady inspector, had no idea why he had requested her presence, but had immediately agreed with his wishes.
Honestly, he had no idea why he asked either.
That was a lie.
He knew why; he just didn't want to analyze too deeply why it was important to him because it meant confronting emotions he thought he had buried deeply long ago. From the start, she had unwittingly penetrated through his flawless armour with her purity of heart; pierced him so thoroughly he hadn't even realized when or how it happened. She was such a tiny thing; like a fragile glass doll – or so she had seemed up until that very point where she had tranquilized him with a paralyzing shot from her dominator.
Her gaze was clear as she watched him, yet he could still recall the moment he had seen her weeping tears of sorrow over the death of her friend, caused by her own helplessness. The image had been etched into his memory and he could recall it with an overwhelming vividness like it had happened minutes ago. Along with it had come such a powerful tug of attraction, he had nearly been floored by it. He would have been if he wasn't already lying down.
Even the wounds he had suffered had been nothing in comparison to the agony he felt as he watched her; tears streaming endlessly down her cheeks even as he attempted to wipe them away. There was nothing he could say or do, only clench his fist at the utter failure of protecting her. Over and over, he replayed that moment in his mind and how he should have shook off the superficial pain inflicted by Masaoka. If only he had known…
"Kougami-san?" she finally inquired.
Her gentle voice broke though his tormented train of thoughts and his blurred vision refocused itself on the true Akane here with him, and not the one suffering in his memory. She was fine. Her psycho-pass and crime coefficient proved that, but she would never be fine in his eyes. She needed his protection; or more accurately, he needed to be her strength and protection.
Rather than verbally replying, he leaned against his countertop and motioned for her to approach him. A slight smile tugged at her lips as she complied, clearly trusting him whole-heartedly. That was part of the anguish; that he could fail her so completely yet she never placed any blame at his feet. He should have gone with her when he informed her of the second criminal; he should have saved Yuki and protected her; he should have…
"What is it?" she asked as she stood in front of him, watching him with guileless eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
"Hm? I'm fine."
His fingers itched with desire to pull her closer so he squashed it by placing his hands behind his back. Rather, he devoured her with his eyes; trying to replace the crying Akane in his mind with the peaceful Akane standing right there. The entire time, she just stood quietly, not understanding his intent. As the silence continued to drag on, she slightly tilted her head to the side questioningly.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, returning his question. "You're behaving strangely."
"How so?"
"Mm… Well usually you're more straight-forward than this," she finally answered after pondering on it for a moment.
"Is that so?"
Without hesitation, she smiled and nodded her head, once more causing him to feel a sudden breathlessness. He had tried to deny it; that a grown man could become completely undone by a girl who was hardly a woman, and yet more womanly than any he knew. It was both an invigorating and frightening thought; especially because she understood nothing about it, fully placing her safety in his hands each time.
"Kougami-san?"
"Hm?" he inquired lazily.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think?"
She had no answer for that as he had rested his hands on her shoulders, gently gliding his fingertips down her arms until he reached her hands, lightly clasping them within his. Even as he stared at her, she didn't flinch with awkwardness or embarrassment, yet rather met his gaze full on. Neither did she pull away from him, seemingly content with the way he intertwined their fingers.
In his opinion, they were still too far apart and she took a couple more steps towards him when he gently tugged on her arms. He could see that her thoughts were beginning to turn, trying to understand what was happening, but she came up empty for explanations. Rather, a small wrinkle formed between her eyebrows as she appeared adorably confused. His sweet, innocent Akane…
Unable to withstand it any longer, he dragged her up against him before settling his arms around her tiny waist. At this, she let out a squawk of surprise, even as she lightly rested her arms against his chest. Staring up at him, she was both confused and comfortable at the same time as she did not attempt to break free from his embrace, instead accepting whatever it was that he was offering.
Leaning back slightly, Shinya lifted her off of her feet and she allowed herself to be shifted against him until their heads were closer together. Firmly holding her in place, he pressed his forehead against hers and peered into the warm chocolate depths of her eyes. She stared back with a hint of a blush on her cheeks, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. In that moment, he wordlessly conveyed to her everything he couldn't possibly say out loud.
That she could trust him…
That he would protect her…
That he would hold her tight…
That he would be her strength and comfort…
Always staying by her side…
And be safe within his arms…
Though he couldn't be certain that she truly understood his promise, Shinya gradually lowered her back to the floor and let himself hold her a moment longer before releasing her. The colour was high on her cheeks due to the unexpected intimacy and he smiled softly, fleetingly. Her hands were still pressed against his chest and she gazed up at him, obviously trying to think of something to say.
"You should get back to work," he said quietly. "I've kept you long enough."
"… Eh? But you asked me to come here."
"And you did. Do you need me to escort you there? Is that what it is?" he teased.
"W – What? I can find my way back to the office!"
"Then you should go. Ginoza's going to be looking for you."
A frown puckered her features as she tried to gauge his emotions, but he purposely kept his features cool and expressionless. If she didn't understand him now, there would come a day when she did. There was no possible way he could give voice to everything he thought and felt regarding her, and he had to be satisfied with what opportunities he was given. Nothing could change that.
"Kougami-san…"
"You better go, Akane," he said, dropping his guard momentarily as he intentionally used her given name.
Her eyes widened in surprise and he responded by shooing her along. He had already indulged himself more than he should have. Even as her features relaxed, she stared at him a moment longer before she slowly made her way to his room door. Knowing that his eyes followed her every step, he didn't move away from the kitchen area; knowing he had no choice but to let her go – for now.